Did you know that yoga is more than just postures and breathing?
Are you interested in drawing inspiration from the ancient philosophy of yoga to see if it can improve your life?
Yoga is taught to unify the mind, body, soul, and spirit so we can live free, without suffering and is based on ancient knowledge.
It started with the Vedas, ancient religious texts, and the eight limbs of yoga come from the Yoga Sutras, outlined by a sage called Patanjali.
The different limbs are meant to help the practitioner to relieve suffering, look internally for truth, connect to the divine, and live as their true self.
The words in Sanskrit can seem intimidating, so here is a list with simple explanations. The eightfold path is called ashtanga in the Yoga Sutras, ashta means eight and anga is limb.
How do you choose to interpret the eightfold path?
1. Yama
Ahimsa: nonviolence
Satya: truthfulness
Asteya: nonstealing
Brahmacharya: continence
Aparigraha: non-possessiveness
2. Niyama
Saucha: cleanliness
Samtosa: contentment
Tapas: heat, discipline
Svadhyaya: study of the self and sacred scriptures
Isvara pranidhana: surrender to the divine
3. Asana
Postures – for discipline, devotion, concentration, and to be able to sit in meditation without aches and pain
4. Pranayama
Control of the breath
5. Pratyahara
Withdrawal of the senses. Attention internally, observe ourselves objectively
6. Dharana
Concentration. Single-minded focus
7. Dhyana
Meditation – contemplation without focus. Absorption
8. Samadhi
Union. Oneness